Pediatric medication safety is focus of Chapel Hill PharmSci 2016 Conference

Research into the safety of pediatric medications is the focus of Chapel Hill PharmSci 2016 hosted by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy May 12-13 and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, and the NC TraCS Institute.

The 2016 conference is designed for health services researchers, clinicians and clinician scientists, pharmacists, health educators, insurers, regulators and students with an interest in pediatric medication safety. It will be held in Kerr Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More information and registration can be found at pharmacy.unc.edu/pharmsci.

Assistant Professor Delesha Carpenter, Ph.D., M.P.H., the scientific chair of the conference, said she and her colleagues in the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy recognized a need for a conference centered on the safety of pediatric medication.

"Many of the conferences that currently exist focus on child health, but typically you won’t find any medication safety programming at these conferences. Alternatively, there might be health care quality conferences, but they rarely include pediatric medication safety content," Carpenter said. "This void in existing programming is the reason we received a conference planning grant from the AHRQ for this specific conference."

The Chapel Hill PharmSci 2016 program includes representatives from the Food and Drug Administration, children’s hospitals, international institutions and research universities.

The conference will cover state-of-the-art methods and issues related to pediatric medication safety research and will promote interdisciplinary collaborations. It will focus on research development, research design and methodology as well as research training and career development by providing opportunities for students and trainees to network with experts in the field.

PharmSci 2016 begins on Thursday evening with a two-hour preconference reception and poster session. The second day includes keynote presentations, concurrent talks and breakout sessions with small groups to promote networking and collaboration.

The AHRQ patient-safety framework lists medication errors as a priority research area and notes that pediatric populations are at increased risk for medication errors and adverse drug effects, especially in the hospital setting. Pediatric medication safety is a timely issue and has recently been at the forefront of the public’s attention due to the media coverage regarding the risks and benefits of childhood vaccinations.